Automobile-door hinge.



J. WILLIAMS:

AUTOMOBILE DOOR HINGE.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 21, 1914.

Patnted June 13, 1916.

mama? JOITN WILLIAMS, OF NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIG-NOR TO WILLIAM WEIR, 0F NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

Application filed July 21, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OI-IN VVILLIAMs, citizen of the United States, residing at Newburyport, in the county of Essex andState of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile- Door Hinges, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the subject of hinges and has special reference to a novel hinge construction of that general type which are 'of specialutility in connection with automobile doors.

The doors of practically all motor cars are shaped to fit the outlines of the body, and for this reason the conventional type of hinges are useless. Accordingly, the present invention contemplates a novel hinge that will permit the door to swing freely away from the body of the car without binding or twisting, and which will also maintain the door in its proper relation to the car body and insure its accurate fit in the door jamb when closed. I

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a practical and substantial construction which will support the door so that it will swing freely and whose arrangement of parts are such that there is no play at the pivot, thus giving the door a solid bearing and obviating the possibility of the same becoming loose.

Another object of the invention is to provide a hinge for the purpose set forth which is composed of a relatively few number of parts, is therefore simple in construction and cheap to manufacture, and is capable of being nested when the door is in its closed position.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hinge that is easily applied. Owing to the peculiar shape of an automobile door, and the position in which it must be hinged, it is essential that the construction be such that the application of the hinge may be facilitated. With this-end in View the invention contemplates the use of hinge attaching parts that are capable of a sliding interlocking engagement, and which may be held in working position by means of asingle fastening element after the parts are finally in place.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 13, 1916.

Serial No. 852,311.

same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

A preferred and practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a view of a portion of a car body and door showing the application of the hinge forming the subject of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view on the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the pillar block fastening. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the knuckle member and its attaching plate, and Fig. 5 is a detail perspective view of the door plate.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

With particular reference to the embodiment of the invention disclosed in the several figures of the drawings, it will be observed that the hinge forming the subject ofthe present invention, and designated in its entirety by the reference character H, is shown as applied to the upper portion of an automobile door 1 and the door jamb 2 of the car body, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. The present hinge is particularly adapted to be used as a top hinge. That is to say, it is especially designed to be placed at the top of a door, and used in connection with an other hinge H such as shown and described in my former Patent No. 1,096,657, dated May 12, 1914. The said hinge H includes in its organization a pillar block casting 3 which is formed with a knuckle housing portion 4 that provides a socket 5, and oppositely disposed attaching flanges 6 and 7 respectively having the fastening receiving openings 8. This pillar block 1 is adapted to receive within its socket 5 an angular knuckle member 9 having atone end a pillar or pivot opening 10, and at its opposite end an attaching plate 11. The end of the knuckle member 9 having the opening 10 1s arranged within the socket so that the said opening receives a pillar or pivot post 12 having its ends secured'in the upper and lower walls of the housing 4:. It will thus be apparent that the knuckle member 9 is pivoted in the pillar block casting so that it has a free swinging movement into and out of the socket 5,

The attaching plate 11 carried by the knuckle member 9 is provided with beveled side edges 13 and 1 1, the latter being longitudinally tapered, and the former being provided with a fastening receiving notch 15. This knuckle attaching plate 11 is designed to have a sliding interlocking engagement with a door plate 16 which is provided. with a dove-tail guideway or groove 17. One edge 18 of said guideway is tapered to accommodate the tapered side 14 of the vided in thebottom wall of the guideway 17 with a plurality of fastening openings 20 which enable the said plate to be secured to the edge of the door 1 before the attaching plate ll is interlocked therewith.

From the foregoing description it is thought that the novel construction of the present hinge will make it apparent that its application is easy. In this connection it will be noted that the pillar block 3 which carries the pivoted knuckle member 9 may be concealed in the door frame portion of the car body so that the attaching plate 11 carried by the end of the knuckle is exposed. After having secured the door plate 16 to the edge of the'door, it is only necessary to lift the door so that the lower edge of the door plate can be slipped overthe upper end of the knuckle attaching plate 11, and because of the beveled edge of the latter and the beveled edge of the guide- Way 17, the door will be supported. The placing of the door plate 16 over the knuckle plate 11 is made possible by means of a mortise M, as shown in Fig. 1 onthe edge of the door, directly below the said plate 16. However, to prevent any accidental displacement of the door, a suitable fastening element may be inserted in the opening formed by the registering of tlie notches 15 and 19. This construction also makes it easy to remove the door by simply removing the fastening element above referred to from. the opening formed by said notches.

I It is thought to be obvious from the foregoing description of the several parts of the hinge that the same greatly facilitates the hanging of automobile doors, While at the same 'time providing a solid bearing for the door and making it possible to use the hinge so that itis absolutely concealed from View.

I claim:

A hinge comprising a pillar block formed with a hollow casing providing a knuckle receiving socket and having attaching flanges disposed on opposite sides of the socket, an angular knuckle element having one end pivoted in said pillar block. an attaching member integral with the other end of said knuckle and provided with upwardly convergent beveled ,side edges one of which has a fastening receiving opening, and a door plate having a dove-tail groove extending throughout its length and flaring in width from its upper end which opens at the top of the plate toward its bottom end which opens at the bottom edge of the plate, said door plate being also provided with an opening in one edge of the groove adapted to register with said opening in the edge of the attaching member, and also having fastening receiving openings in the bottom wall of the groove and adapted to be concealed by said attaching member.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

DAVID P. PAGE, LEMUEL W. RODIGRASS. 

